Burning Bridges
by TorpeGraveYard1031
Summary: Mustang's neice he barely knows comes to Central, and Uncle Roy must care for her. Things are rocky at first, but when Marie's father comes looking for her, can Roy really give her up so easily? Sucky summary....


My first FMA fanfic!! And the first update of the New Year 2009!

**Disclaimer: Yeah, **_**me**_**, owning FullMetal.... Nice joke. Marie _is _mine though.**

Roy Mustang sat in his office, attempting to concentrate on his paper work. He sighed for about the fourth time that hour when Lieutenant Hawkeye felt the need to try and get him focused, once again, on his work.

"Sir, should I remind you, the more you procrastinate, the more work you leave yourself for the next day?"

Mustang fought the urge to roll his eyes at his most trusted subordinate. He stood up and replied, "Lieutenant, it's getting late. Our work for today is over. I fini--" The Colonel stopped himself mid-sentence when a shy knock was heard from his door.

"Come in," he commanded.

"Uh, Sir?" Havoc entered, a young girl in tow. His expression was both curious, and skeptical. The girl behind him just stood still, as he silently tried to think of a way to inform his superior the news.

"What is it, Havoc?" Mustang asked, irritated, "I've had a long day. Tell me what you need, or get out."

Havoc cleared his voice. "This girl, she claims to be your niece, Sir."

Roy's gaze did not harden, nor soften, as the girl moved her gaze from the floor and stared up at him. She stared at him with the same facial expression. Not a word was spoken between the two as the stare off continued, and Hawkeye gave Havoc a questioning look.

Finally, Roy simply stated, "Marie," and sat down.

The girl bowed her head slightly, replying, "Uncle," and took a seat in front of his desk.

Another moment of silence passed until Mustang gathered his thoughts. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Havoc, please give my niece and I a moment together," he replied nonchalantly, as if he were speaking of a business meeting instead.

Havoc took a drag from his cigarette and left. Hawkeye caught the girl's eye for a short moment before slowly strolling out of the office.

As soon as the small -'click' of the door lock sounded, Mustang broke the silence once more, "What are you doing in Central? Don't you know how dangerous it is here?" The girl did not speak, though she did not seem easily intimidated by the man. He continued, "Why are you here, Marie? I want a full explanation before I send you back to your mother."

A small sob caught in the girl's throat. She swallowed and answered, "You are my legal guardian, Uncle Mustang," her face was serious, saying the next words, as if they were a much more trivial matter. "Mother is dead."

Mustang's eyes widened, but kept his composure. He closed his eyes, opening them slowly before replying, "Lauren is dead? When did this--"

Before he could finish, Marie interrupted, "Four nights ago. I spent all night in the hospital by her side. Then after it was useless, when the doctors gave up, I left on the first train I could to central. It was a three day trip."

"And your father?"

Marie's directed a glare towards the rug on the floor. "He couldn't have been bothered to go see mother in the hospital. When I called to tell him," she swallowed, "_ 'what happened'_, he said he'd be around in a month; _after_ his business trip."

Mustang watched the girl, almost surprised she had gotten through the entire explanation without so much as flinching. Her glare softened a little, and she took a deep breathe. Her hands were folded in her lap, and she continued to look down.

"Business trip, eh?"

"Yes," she replied quietly.

Then, the silence came back once more, save for the sound of the tick-tocking of the clock on the wall.

Marie did not change her position, nor did Mustang. She feared she had come all this way for nothing. With no one to care for her back at home, Marie prayed her Uncle would let her stay. She hardly knew the man, having only met him on a couple occasions, this being one of the few. This was very ironic, because, before joining the military, Mustang and his sister were extremely close. But, as he moved farther and farther away, they began to loose touch.

Marie had heard that military and war changed people. She didn't really think much of it, until the last few days. Especially in the last few moments. Based on the story her mother had once told her about Mustang, well, this person in front of her could only be a shell of that man.

"Do you have all of your necessary belongings?"

Marie's eyes snapped opened, and she was brought out of her thoughts by the baritone voice. She cleared her throat, "I can stay?"

"I'm not your legal guardian. Your father is your care-taker," Mustang stated, as if uninterested in the matter. Marie bit her lip as he continued. "If I actually had the means to care for you, it would be, to a point, illegal."

"But, how can I stay in an empty house? And I have no job. There's no way I can find one that'll provide me enough income to support myself. Please Sir--"

Mustang stood up, "Hold your tongue until granted permission to speak." Marie shut her mouth instantly, redirecting her stare to anything but Roy's eyes. He sighed, remembering he was talking to his niece, not a subordinate. In a much softer, but still firm voice, he said, "Do not interrupt when a superior personal is speaking to you unless granted the permission to do so."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, and closed his eyes. What was he supposed to do in this situation? How could he care for this young girl he barely knew? After thinking it over for a moment, Roy stood up straight. "If what you're telling me is true, then I suppose I have no choice. I will allow you to live with me for one month's time, and only that. Understand?" Marie glanced back up at him making eye contact, instead of replying, in case he'd have something more to say.

When he sat down silently, Marie stood up, bowing respectively to her relative. "Thank you, Uncle." She turned on her heel, only to look back at him when she reached the door. "If I become too much of a burden, please tell me." Then, she walked out of the office to fetch her suitcase from the main desk.

Mustang stared with half-lidded eyes at the spot where the girl had stood before disappearing through the wooden doors. The girl looked incredibly like his sister, though younger, of course. She was approximately in her mid-teen years, he guessed. Her hair was black and long. She also had the same nose as his late sister. Foot-steps sounded that snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked to see Hawkeye entered through the door.

"Sir?"

Mustang put on his hat, and pushed in his chair. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, I request that if you know anything about child care, you tell me now."

Riza stared at him astounded. "Uh…. Sir?" She repeated, though more questioning than the first.

**________________**

**Okay, first chapter, done. What do you think, guys? Is it alright? Stupid beyond all reasoning? Not worth the twenty minutes it took to type it, or the half-hour I took to plan the entire fanfic?**

**-sighs- I would really appreciate if you guys tell me, so I know for sure. I've never written a FullMetal Alchemist fanfic before...**

**Signed: Daisy**


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